Posts by schooni

I've been in this same spot. Very frustrating. Looks like you don't cook much and go for easy, pre made food. (That was soooo me.) You also have very few veggies in your line up.

I started losing when I dramatically increased my veggies. I discovered stir fry, soup and salad. Gave the scary veggie isle a good stare down, chose things I'd never eaten before, brought them home and with a good stir fry recipe off the internet, created what would turn out to be my new go to. Now I've added two tablespoons of germinated brown rice (I hate regular brown rice but this is yummy and cooks in half the time) small amounts of chopped up meat (about 1/3 cup) and sometimes, even the formerly unthinkable tofu! Even though this seems like very little to eat I find I am always satisfied, losing weight, feel really, really good, regular, ditched my vitamins, have perfect blood sugar and am sleeping through the night. Who knew what veggies could do!

I eat probably a cup to a cup and a half of veggies each meal with a small amount of protein and an even smaller amount of whole grain, either in a stir fry, soup, salad or shish kabob. There is an amazing amount of flavors you can add to these basics not just asian flavors for stir fry but also Italian, Greek, French, Cajun, Mexican etc. just use the veggies, meats and spices/sauces of that style and give 'em a quick stir fry. Do a triple batch and save yourself from cooking for the next few meals. I am down to 130lbs from 155lbs. I have learned to love soup for breakfast and can't now imagine how I thought cereal or a bar was a good breakfast! Now I get why I always felt crappy. Lastly, the calorie counts are remarkably similar so once you have your basic rotation down you won't have to put much time into counting anymore which was a relief for me. I just wrote down what each meal cost in calories and that saves me precious time.

I've never liked fish but I'm going to find a kind I don't mind and start eating fish at least once a week too.

One thing I've learned is eating sugar triggers cravings for more sugar and for other carbs, at least in my body. I've been doing Atkins and doing great with no cravings whatsoever after the first week. Yesterday I went crazy, not because of cravings but because I've been working non stop and really wanted a break from my daily grind. I drank a mojito, ate deep fried sugared stuff, fruit, a candy bar, tortilla chips! I just had a sugar carb blow out day and woke up fiercely craving donuts!!!!! I haven't eaten donuts in years!

I am small too, and take my multi at night just before I go to sleep, with plenty of water to dilute it. That way, if it makes me sick, I never know about it. I wake up full of energy since I started doing it that way. I take the Alive brand one a day with no iron, because I've learned that we really don't need all that iron. Also iron can cause constipation. No body needs that!

Losing weight, changing your lifestyle and giving up foods you once used for comfort is tough. We all need support. It can also scare the crap out of your partner, who may be thinking you are losing weight because you are preparing to leave and look for a new guy. This is especially true of a partner who is generally non supportive and already feels guilty for that.

My partner and I are both overweight. Mostly, she is supportive but other times she will bring home foods she knows are my weakness. I take this as a sign of her insecurity. I have talked to her, but she "forgets" every few weeks. She complains she can't button her jeans and will go along with eating healthy and exercise as long as I initiate it, but if I fall off the wagon, she doesn't even hesitate, she's falling too. I have reassured her that I'm not leaving and talked to her about the fun things we can do once we've lost weight, like learn windsurfing, or go hiking places we can't really go now. This seems to get her more excited and into it. Maybe you could invite your boyfriend into your dreams and tell him why you want to lose the weight and help him to become a more supportive partner.

1. I have to put myself first. If I am sick, and obesity is a sickness, of heart, mind and body, I don't have what my loved ones need.

2. I don't have any cravings ever now that I made it through 4 tough weeks of going without any sugar and white carbs. I did that because I got a blood test and found out I was 1 point from being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I imagined the way my life would change, the never ending finger sticks, medications, doctor visits the endless intrusions in my life and I got on the computer and figured out how to keep my blood sugar low. I bought a glucose monitor and began checking to see if each new food worked. (What an eye opener!) I learned coffee causes my blood sugar to shoot up and that it's the caffeine in coffee that does that. I limit that to two cups and I walk that sugar spike off. I went to the grocery store and bought coconut sugar, kale, bacon, sweet potatoes, salsa, chicken breasts, fish, low fat cottage cheese, greek yogurt (no sugar) fresh blue, black and strawberries. At that point I was only trying to stop the oncoming diabetes train when one wonderful morning I pulled on my jeans and they were loose. I realized that my body simply would not lose weight while the blood sugars were crazy and once I controlled that, the weight began disappearing.

I recently decided to be bad when I was with a family member who was in a mood to eat bad food. I ate my former favorite, baby back ribs. It did not taste like it used to and afterwards I felt sick. I couldn't wait for it to be out of my body. No one could be more surprised by that response than me, the former cupcake and soda for breakfast queen!

Total monthly weight loss: Average daily calories: 1200Add comments: I weighed 155 on Friday and 151.8 on Sunday.I did NOTHING to deserve it and I have no idea how it happened but there it is, and I'll take it!

I spend every month losing and regaining the same six lbs. 3 weeks of the month I'm eating beans, whole grains, fresh fruits and veggies and making healthy meals. I walk 45-60 mins. a day. Then comes pms and it's chips, pizza, wine, beer, cookies, Chinese food etc.. The cravings come and I fight them but I always lose the battle and regain the lbs. I am starting over again. Less hopeful, still fighting. Maybe a challenge will get me off the ropes.

I too can't tolerate Salmon and had tried every incarnation you can image. I hated them all - especially the smell of it cooking. I accidentally discovered I love Salmon RAW as sushi or even better, sashimi. Excellent! No fish taste or smell, plus the healthy oils aren't damaged by cooking. I use Braggs Liquid Aminos for soy sauce and add in some fresh shelled soybeans with a bit of pickled ginger and wasabe. Yum!

I have recently become an accidental vegan. I watched the movie Fast Food Nation and have found myself unable to face meat for going on a month now. The good news is both the grocery bill and the scale numbers are reduced. The bad, I have to figure out new ways to eat and I don't always have the time so I am doing a bit of repetitive eating.

Eating food as nature presents it is a new idea for me but I have been eating a peach, a nectarine, 1/2 pint of blueberries, a few cashews, a cucumber, etc.. At first I felt a bit deprived but now I am loving this way of eating. It is so easy. So many things in my life are hard. Easy food rocks. One of my favorite new meals is a whole grain tortilla (low carb) 2 tbls of hummus, a handful of prepped salad mix or baby spinach, 2 tbls or so of chopped onion and tomato and 2 tbls of Bragg's healthy vinigarette dressing. I can throw it together in under a minute since I've been keeping chopped ingredients in the fridge. This is excellent and with a handful of grapes, very satisfying.

After 20 years as a fast food queen, I never imagined I'd think fruit and veggies were something to look forward to. We are marvelously adaptive beings!

It took 18 months and 52 doctors for me to discover that staples had been left on my bladder during an appendectomy and my body's effort to get rid of them was causing my "unexplained abdominal pain". Many physicians were dismissive or worse. I was on opiates the entire time and it truly sucked. My advice is persistence breaks down resistance. Pain always happens for a reason. If you can find the reason you can probably find some way to deal with it that will allow for a happy life. Hang in there!

I actually have a mom who was worse. Now she is old and mellow but the lessons she taught me in a nutshell were:

Compassion for her. She will never understand the joys that most parents (grandparents and now greatgrandparents) take for granted. That is sad.

I am of her. I do not belong to her. I am a not an apple from a tree. I am a being with my own unique spirit and not a reflection of my mom.

I can find other people who will serve as parents (my dad died when I was small). In my forties I still reach out to those beings with qualities I need or admire. I have been lucky to have many fine folk serve as mentors and temporary moms. You'd be surprised by the number of people happy to adopt you. I am still close with a college professor I reached out to more than 20 years ago and I still find him wise and kind.

My mom will never be who I wish she would be. She will be who she is, no matter what I, or anyone else does. I can choose to love her as she is, or not at all. Regardless of my choice, she will always be my mom.

I am wonderful. I learned that because my mom first taught me I was not and I could not accept her version of the truth. I learned that I was wonderful because I shared my triumphs, and my bruises, with people capable of cheering me on.

Congratulations! It sounds like you've worked really hard and you deserve this chance to make a great life for yourself. Good luck. :)